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caxycreations · 10 months

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Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den

Chapter Seven: Recreation

Ferusian Law, Third Sequence, Article One: Law of Consequence

Ferusian citizens are entitled to consequential action against inciting parties, provided the consequential action does not exceed severity of the inciting event.

Consequential action is defined as any measure, be it verbal, physical, or legal, that is taken in response to the inciting event.

Inciting event is defined as harmful action taken by an individual that is not a consequential action.

Inciting events or consequential action which break established Ferusian law are exempt from the Law of Consequence.

The drive was quiet, with David staring out the passenger side window. Glances at his reflection revealed a dull look in his eyes, and his fur bristled slightly with every movement of the truck. I was still angry myself, the last of my adrenaline only just starting to die down. Pulling into the parking lot, I took another glance at David and saw his expression had regained some of the life to it, his energy returning at the sight of the neon lights adorning the front of the building.

I parked the truck, stepping out as David followed suit, and we made our way into the arcade in silence. His smile started coming back the closer we got, and when we finally reached the front doors, he was practically skipping inside. I stopped at the counter to check the balance on my game card, my regular visits leaving me with quite a significant amount of tickets and credits from past visits. According to the system I was low on credits, so a quick top-up and we had more than enough for both of us.

I found David a moment later, holding the bars of a Tamp Tamp Maximum machine, one of his favorite dancing games. I rolled my eyes and smirked as I stepped up behind him, tapping his shoulder with my game card. He yipped and turned around, blushing when he realized it was only me.

"H-Hey big guy, you scared me!" He said with an indignant pout. His nose scrunched and he huffed a little before realizing I was holding my card out for him. He grinned, grabbing it with an excited giggle and wasting no time in tapping it against the scanner a few times, giving himself a fair few plays. I took the card back and leaned on the wall next to the machine. I wasn't much for the games, but David loved them, and I liked watching him have his fun.

His paws were a blur, tail moving wildly behind him, his arms and hands mirroring the motions of the cartoon dancer perfectly. The song was in Kanorian, nothing I understood, but David moved like he knew every step as well as the folks that wrote it. I let out a smile and, sure he would be fine if I stepped away for a moment, tapped the card against his scanner a couple more times and went to find something I could enjoy.

Basketball, mini-golf, shooters, the arcade had plenty of variety, but what caught my eye every time was skee ball. Simple, cheap on credits, and I was good enough to land enough tickets most times to make it worth it. I tapped a few times to my scanner, then to the ones on either side, figuring the next people would get a nice surprise at their free plays. I was just about to roll the first ball when I heard a splashing sound, and I felt my muscles seize.

I wasn't afraid of water, never had been. And yet here I was, my chest tight and my muscles tensing like I was about to fight, my heart racing. I stood there, as still as a stone, fur standing on end with my heart pounding in my ears. Then it came again, that splashing sound, and I knew why I was so panicked. That dream. That nightmare. I remembered it now. I knew I'd had a bad dream this morning, and hearing that sound brought to mind a flash of the ocean, dark shapes atop the surface, and a deep and unyielding burning in my chest as my lungs fought and failed to find oxygen.

Now knowing what was causing my anxiety, I tried my best to breathe slowly. I closed my eyes, thinking of everything I could think of to calm myself down. Music, food, Mom, Dad, Merissa. I tried to think of stories, of shows, movies, games. I tried to focus my thoughts on something, anything besides the sound of water filling my ears, the feeling of air leaving my body to be replaced by the agonizing liquid. It was no use. I dropped the ball I was holding, the sound muffled as I stepped back and braced myself against the nearest wall.

I wasn't used to this. I didn't get scared. I didn't feel anxious. I was the brave one, the confident one. David couldn't see me like-

David. David was here. He was barely halfway across the arcade. He'd see me. He'd see me afraid. He'd be scared to rely on me again. If I could panic over something as stupid as a sound in a gods-damned arcade, then-

No. No, no, no. He knows me better than that. David knows me. He knows I...

I growled, baring my teeth at nothing but my own fear. Standing up straight, I stepped back up to the game and picked up the ball I had dropped. David wouldn't see me scared, because I wasn't going to be scared. He would never think less of me for it. And I shouldn't expect him to. As I prepared to roll the ball, I heard the sound again and turned my head to find the source. It was a spin-the-wheel game with a pond theme. I glared at it, steadied my breath, and turned my back. I tuned it out and took my first roll.

I played for some time like that, my whole body tensing every time I heard that splash. Eventually, I ran out of plays and decided to make my way back to David. He was halfway through his last song, and I couldn't help but smile. His hair was wildly disheveled, his constant movement having undone whatever care he had taken to maintain the dark brown mess currently adorning the top of his head. I checked his score, chuckling to myself. It was perfect. He hadn't missed a beat.

As the song ended, he gripped the railing behind him, leaning back against it. I could see his chest heaving, hear his breathing. It was heavy, desperate. If I didn't know any better I'd say he'd been holding his breath in the entire time. He turned to hop off the platform, giggling as he saw me.

"Where you there the whole time, Rye?" He asked with a smile, hands fiddling with his hair to clean it up. I smirked, brushing his hands away and helping bring some order to the mess he'd put himself in.

"Nah, played a lil bit'a skee ball. Workin' on gettin' some tickets. Figured we'd see if we got enough for a decent prize this time. Ya still want that game system?" I asked, offering him my game card. He took it with a giddy smile, nodding excitedly and bounding off towards the racing games. I followed him and caught up just as he was pocketing the game card, hopping onto a motorcycle mounted on a metal base.

I watched him play for quite some time, and across several games. Hours passed and my eyes never left him, and my smile never faded. He deserved the break after the incident at work, and seeing the smile on his face, hearing his laughter so often, was well worth the hit my wallet would take. Eventually even he started to run out of energy, his tail swaying less excitedly, his steps losing their bounce little by little. Finally, he got off of a light-gun game and leaned against me with a happy-sounding purr.

"Satisfied? Spent enough'a my money?" I asked with a smirk, rubbing his back a bit. He nodded, smiling up at me and giggling softly. I rolled my eyes and held out my hand, closing my fingers around the card as he lay it in my hand.

"Can we check the prize counter? I wanna see how close we are to the Zenith." He said with a tired, but hopeful, smile. I nodded, and we made our way for the prize counter to check the balance of tickets on the card. I scanned it on the kiosk just beside the counter and while waiting for the machine to load, glanced at the Zenith console behind the clerk. A hundred thousand tickets. I had been saving up a while, and as the machine loaded I gave David a nudge. We were a thousand tickets short.

"Damn! Can we keep playing for a bit? We're so close to it, can we please, please, please get it today?" David begged, clinging to my arm. I laughed, nodding and loading up another fifty bucks onto the card and handing it to him. He darted off, quickly settling in front of a machine and starting to play. Another hour later, and a quick trip to the prize counter, and David was the proud owner of a brand new Zenith console. He held it in his arms like it was a precious child to him, even curling his tail around it protectively.

The drive home was filled with David talking at length about the games he planned to play, how excited he was to try the console out. I didn't understand most of it, but I did understand a few things. I understood the excited laughter meant he'd forgotten the stresses of work. I understood the beaming smile on his face meant I'd done the right thing. I understood that when we got home, he would set up the system and everything would be okay. I understood he was happy.

That was enough for me. Seeing his tail not wrapped around his waist, seeing his fingers drumming across the box in his lap, his teeth glinting in the light as he smiled, the idle bouncing in his seat. His joy shone in every single movement he made, and I couldn't help but smile with him. As we pulled into the driveway of my house and made our way inside, I figured he would waste no time in setting up. I was surprised when he set it down and rushed me, hugging me like his life depended on it.

"Thank you, Rye...Thank you!" He spoke softly at first, regaining his excitement quickly and letting go, racing off to set up his new console. He didn't even have any games for it, but I wasn't about to ruin his fun by reminding him of that. I was sure he'd find some free games until he bought a few. I sat in my chair beside the couch, laying back and closing my eyes. We had been in the arcade for hours, and I could feel myself getting tired from all the excitement of the lights and others around us. I was glad to be home, out of it all. As comfortable as I was in a club, arcades were a completely different story.

I could hear David giggling, and the sound of a system booting up. A second later, something fell into my lap. I opened my eyes, greeted by the sight of David laying across my lap, head against my chest and legs dangling over the armrest of the chair, kicking idly. I rolled my eyes at him and sighed.

"Comfy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Very~! Now shush, I'm gaming!" He said with a giggle, nuzzling my chest for a second before focusing on the TV. I shook my head and smiled again, laying my head back and closing my eyes, relaxing slowly before drifting off to sleep, David playing his game and laying across my lap.

I opened my eyes, surrounded on all sides by water. Panicking, I began swimming up, frantically trying to reach the top. I held my breath, lungs burning and head becoming lighter by the moment, until I couldn't anymore. I took in a deep breath, instinctive and against my will, only to find I was perfectly fine. I took in oxygen, and let my breath back out, as easily as on land. I spun, testing my surroundings. They were still water. I was submerged, and yet...I was okay. Looking up, I saw dark shapes, dozens of them, on the surface.

Swimming upward, I found myself reaching surface quickly, with ease. I climbed onto the nearest boat, pulling myself from the water and dripping onto the dark wood of the craft. The moment my paws touched the wood, my lungs flooded, and I found myself coughing, sputtering, water pouring from me freely. I couldn't breathe, my lungs burning, freezing, shrinking, expanding, desperate for air that wouldn't come. I turned, remembering the water below, the safety inside, and just before I could dive in, I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

My eyes snapped open, blinking at the light, adjusting slowly as I woke up. David was shaking my shoulder and holding his phone out to me. I could hear a female voice on the line, and sighed. Taking the phone, I put it to my ear.

"Yo." I said plainly, keenly aware Davina was on the other end.

"Hey, Davey said you got him the Zenith he's been begging for. Did you?" She asked, almost pointedly. I chuckled, remembering she had planned to visit soon to give David his presents and pick up hers.

"Yeah, he had a rough day at work so we hit the arcade an' he had enough tickets t'grab th'console from th'prize counter." I replied. I thought she'd be happy, and instead was greeted with a very frustrated sound, halfway to a hiss and almost, but not quite, a growl.

"You bastard, I bought him one for his birthday and now I have to delay my trip so I can return it and buy him something else! Uuuugh, Okay. It's fine, I'm glad you took care of him. But really? I thought I told you I was getting it for him?" She was obviously irritated, but trying to keep calm. I looked at David, earning a confused head-tilt from the caxy.

"I'm sorry 'bout that, 'Vina. Forgot. If'n y'want, I can send a couple ideas for what he might like." I offered, wanting to make up for it. She laughed, a sultry and playful sound.

"If it's from Knotty Nights, don't bother. That was my backup plan." She said with a laugh.

"Well, I'll just keep it t'myself then." I said with a smirk. "Been alright, 'Vina? Ain't chatted in a while."

She was quiet for a moment. "I've been okay. Moss has been keeping me busy. I never thought raising a teenager would be so hard...They're a good kid, they behave and listen, but they're so..." She trailed off, sighing.

"Independent?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm trying hard to do right with them, and Trace is helping a lot, but I think you should take some time to see them while they're out there this weekend. They talk about you and Davey a lot, I think they miss you." She explained. I nodded, mulling it over.

"I think I can do that, ain't no trouble t'head over t'Trace's place an' visit th'kiddo." I replied. "But ya woke me up an' I'm awful tired. I'mma give ya back t'Davey an' get a lil more rest. Seeya when ya get here, yeah? Stayin' here still right?" I asked.

"Yep. I'll be there in a couple days, gotta stop by K.N. and grab David's gifts, then I'll be heading there when they're wrapped." She replied. "Go on, gimme my brother back. Go sleep, I'm sick of you." She said with a giggle.

"Alright, alright. Here's Davey. Stay safe, 'Vina." I said with a laugh, holding the phone out to David. He took it, and as he chattered away with Davina, I sighed, relaxing again and letting myself fall back into a dreamless sleep, the barest hint of the feeling of something soft and warm being laid over me as the last sensation before slipping over the edge into sleep.

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